GREENSBORO – The R.C. Hatch High School Bobcats found themselves in unfamiliar territory Wednesday night, in a tight battle after the first half.

The Bobcats showed why they are the top-ranked team in Class 2A, outscoring the Greensboro East Raiders 38-18 in the second half and coming away with a 78-59 victory.

“The kids kind of stepped it up a little on the defense,” R.C. Hatch coach Eugene Mason said.

The Bobcats (15-1) broke the tie with a 13-2 run in the third period and pulled away. With the game tied at 44 with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, R.C. Hatch’s Calvin Pope and Frankie Sullivan combined for 11 points during the Bobcats’ run that put them ahead, 57-46, with three minutes to go in the period.

Pope came off the bench in the first quarter to ignite the Bobcats’ offense. He dropped in eight consecutive points and R.C. Hatch led 22-17.

Sullivan opened the second period with a slam-dunk as the Bobcats stretched their lead to nine.

Then the wheels began to slow.

Greensboro East took advantage of a long shooting drought by the Bobcats. The Raiders began to scratch their way back into the game, even taking a 41-40 lead at halftime. Sullivan and Antwain Starks dropped in 10 points each for R.C. Hatch.

The shooting dry spell quickly ended in the third period, as R.C. Hatch outscored Greensboro East 23-9 in the period and went ahead for good.

Sullivan finished with 18 points for Hatch. Pope and Brandon Johnson contributed 14 and 13 points, respectfully.

The Bobcats travel to Billingsley on Friday night. Girls tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys at 7:30.